Earth Dungeon 54.2

Test

Chapter 54.2. Tavern

The table was piled high with dishes, and there were glasses of pure ale. It seemed like it would cost quite a bit. The reason for this cheerful atmosphere was easy to guess.

As he sat in the vacant chair, he looked at them with a bemused expression.

"You guys took down a bunch of D-ranks, right? Is it okay to use up that many bullets? Oh, and I'll have a glass of pure ale too."

There was no doubt they took down the D-rank Goblin Knights with automatic rifles. 

After all, each one was worth 3,000 yen. Ooki-kun didn't know how many they took down, but they must have earned quite a bit.

The waitress quickly brought the ale and placed it on the table.

"It's fine. It's a captain's order. Look, he's over there."

They were already a bit tipsy. Their faces were slightly red, and with the alcohol-scented breath, they pointed with their fingers.

"Look, I'll treat you to anything you want, bunny-chan. Hahaha!"

"Squee, Captain, stop it! I'll have a glass of pure ale too~."

"I'll have a glass of pure ale and a boiled corn~."

The soldiers who were called the captain and served by women who seemed quite eager enjoyed their drinks with hearty laughter. Occasionally, they would grope the exposed chests and bottoms of the women hanging around.

Where there's money, there are working girls. They seemed to have come from the outer district in no time. With a thousand yen bill tucked into their cleavage, they clung to the captain with excited voices.

"What's all that about? Why are you guys out as a team?"

"It's a regular thing. Students from the academy in the inner town come for field training."

Sipping his drink, the soldier explained while Ooki-kun looked skeptical.

"There was something like that?"

"Yeah, there was. The students from the military academy who are about to graduate must clear the feral dungeon in the abandoned town at the beginning of their second term. We usually clear out the goblins near the outer district and head back. That's how it goes."

Listening to the soldier's words while drinking, Ooki nods in agreement. He didn't know such a thing existed.

"So, you guys took down Knights in the goblin dungeon and cleared out the way. But wouldn't that count as clearing the path inside the dungeon?"

"It was just a coincidence. We accidentally ended up in the dungeon. I'm looking forward to this event next year. Hey, waitress over there! Another round of pure ale here!"

They laughed heartily. Well, Ooki didn't mind much. After all, the soldiers' loyalty to the outer town was only so much. They couldn't compete with the bills shoved in their pockets.

"But seriously, tackling a feral dungeon... Isn't that too dangerous? You could easily die, right?"

Dungeons were dangerous places. Even in the shallow layers of the goblin dungeon, there were archers. If luck wasn't on your side, you could die.

"Our equipment is top-notch. All the soldiers are here. We've got people with powerful skills too. There's no element of losing. For the inner-town folks, it's like a carefree outing. We don't need to clear the way."

However, Ooki shrugged off such doubts and denied them.

"Oh? Are the inner town folks that impressive?"

It was unexpected information. The soldiers shared it so casually, so it might be common knowledge. Still, they had never discussed things like this in such a setting before. The market had proven to be useful in this regard as well.

"Hmm, we've never actually seen them fight. But everyone who dives into the dungeon comes back unharmed."

"Is that... impressive? They're a unit armed with automatic rifles, right?"

One would think they could easily conquer it. That's how normal it seemed to be...

"In the outer town, we occasionally have casualties... Even though we're an elite unit too."

"Is it that bad..."

His boss solo conquers the dungeons, but apparently, that's still strange. Hearing that story makes Ooki curious.

"Where are they going to clear these feral dungeons? It would be troublesome if they conquer the dungeons around here."

If they conquered the dungeons we've been managing, our tour destinations would disappear, and we'd be in big trouble. We'd have to choose a new dungeon. Clear out the monsters around the tour dungeon, and temporarily eliminate the enemies inside. That's how we maintain the standard respawn state.

"Well, there's not much we can do about it. Dungeons keep spawning anyway."

"Sigh... How am I supposed to explain this to my boss..."

Ooki sighed and drooped his shoulders. The taste of the alcohol suddenly felt bad.

"My condolences. By the way, where's that black-clad boss of yours?"

"He headed to the Arakawa. Said he's going to take care of the water source dungeon."

Upon hearing those words, the soldier's face wrinkled as if he had heard something unbelievable. The monsters in the water source dungeon were indeed strong. Solo conquering it seemed crazy.

"Ah... We probably won't meet the folks from the inner town. I doubt they'd even come this far. Besides, even if they did, it's tomorrow."

"Let's just drink today and report to my boss tomorrow."

Taking a sip of ale, Ooki sighed in frustration about what he'd have to report tomorrow.

The next day, with a hangover, Ooki-kun slept until noon.